Andrew Cranston is a storyteller of sorts—though his narratives remain elusive. His work is captivating, not just for its interplay of narrative and humor, but for a humor akin to that of Samuel Beckett or Buster Keaton—where the absurd and the poignant intertwine in the fabric of everyday life. Drawing from a wide range of sources, Cranston often interrogates the reliability of memory, blending fragments of his own personal history with literary passages, anecdotes, jokes, second-hand stories, cinematic imagery, and keen observations of the world around him. His process is deeply intuitive, often unfolding on the surfaces of hardback book covers. Rather than following a predetermined plan, his works emerge organically through the physical act of layering and reworking materials—paint, varnish, collage—until something essential takes form. As Liza Dimbleby notes, “The images that are encouraged to surface are sometimes taboo—sex and solitude, death, nightmares—the ultimate questions, not without a sly humour.” Cranston’s art thrives in this space of uncertainty, where the familiar becomes strange and the ordinary, profound.